Message to Lampard: “Don’t go to the Bernabéu and be defeated”

Many would consider what happened to Lampard as a big mess. Catching up with Chelsea, this Chelsea, at this point in the season seems to be something that only seems to end in resounding success or in the greatest of flops. His experience certainly didn’t start well. The former midfielder took charge of the team for the first time last weekend when Julen Lopetegui visited Wolves and returned to London with little reason to smile.

Perhaps that is why Harry Redknapp, the more experienced coach, fired himself to advise him on his next game. Nothing less than the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid and at the Santiago Bernabéu. A scenario that Redknapp, who is also Lampard’s uncle, knows since he visited him in the same circumstances twelve years ago with Tottenham, an occasion he was exposed to because of the road.

For Redknapp, his nephew must be aware of the difficult moment his team is going through, leave Courage on the bench and take to the field with a discreet formula that allows them to preserve their options for a return at Stamford Bridge: “I think they’re all set to play in three positions. Both Chilwell and James the full-backs are pretty much centre-halves. I think they’re well prepared to play that way, because first they have to make sure they stay level and give themselves a chance when they come back to London. Stay in the game. If they beat you by a freak goal, you’re still in the game. “Don’t go out there and get beaten. Keep it compact, keep it compact, hard to beat. What a great game to play. Everyone expects them to lose, Chelsea have a great chance.”